New series explores unsolved murder

A new documentary series examining the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork in 1996 is coming to Netflix next month.

The three-part series, from Oscar winning producer Simon Chinn, was filmed entirely between West Cork and France.

Directed by BAFTA nominee John Dower, ‘Sophie: A Murder in West Cork’ features contributions from Sophie’s family, including her son Pierre-Louis Baudey, alongside residents from Schull and the local press.

Sophie’s brutal murder in 1996 in one of the most beautiful and remote regions of Ireland shocked the country and triggered one of the biggest investigations Ireland has ever seen.

Over the next two decades, the unsolved case became a national obsession both here and in France.

With access both to the victim's family and those involved in the story, the series unravels this extraordinary story from its beginnings and offers a unique window into the ongoing battle to find justice for Sophie.

Executive producer Simon Chinn said: “Sophie was much more than a victim of a murder. She was a mother, a daughter, a sister, a filmmaker and a writer. Whatever actually happened on that cold December night in 1996, the story is one of a collision of worlds, cultures and characters and it was that which drew us to it.

“But it was meeting and gaining the trust of Sophie’s family which really gave us our purpose. Justice has eluded them for a quarter of a century since Sophie’s death and their main aim in cooperating with us to make this series is to do justice to her memory. We hope we have achieved that, for them.”

Other notable works produced by Chinn and his company Lightbox include critically acclaimed documentaries ‘Searching for Sugarman’ and ‘Man on Wire’.

‘Sophie: A Murder in West Cork’ will launch on Netflix on 30 June.